Hunger Of A Different Kind

20092007

by NORMAN S. LAO

Personal Narrative

Because I often go to school without having breakfast I am forced (by my grumbling stomach) to eat it during my vacant periods in the morning. I found a nice place in front of CPU. Chickensaya is the name of the small restaurant from where I satisfy my hunger.

Eric, the owner, is a cousin-in-law of mine. One day he asked me where our church is. He and his whole family went to church three Sundays ago. Since then I observed a hunger for the Word of God begin to grow in Eric’s life. There seems to be no end to his questions. I noticed that he reads the Bible with gusto. A week ago I lent him a book on the Great Doctrines of the Christian faith and I printed him a couple of materials to get him started. He gobbled up the whole thing! Feeding him is like feeding a dog that hasn’t eaten for a week (pardon the analogy)!

So, as he feeds me hamburgers, hotdogs, longanisas (I pay my bill, of course), I feed him the Word. Before, I went to Chickensaya to feed my stomach, now I go there to feed another person’s soul as well. Communicating the Gospel and unlocking the width, depth and height of the Scriptures to a hungry soul is such a satisfying and fulfilling experience.

Reflection

Matthew 4:4 tells us that “man should not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” There is a hunger for physical food of which most of us are familiar with. However, there is a hunger that is not so familiar to a lot of people: the hunger for the Word of God. Many Christians today hunger for “other” things, that is, everything other than the things of God!

I Peter 2:2 encourages us to feed on the Word for our spiritual growth. One reason why many Christians are weak and defeated is because the Bible has been a closed book for them. Psalm 119:9 asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” and it also provides the answer: “By living according to your word.” Psalm 119:11 is even clearer: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

May there be a revival of this hunger for God and the Bible in the churches and seminaries that claim to be His.

Prayer

Father, thank you so much for causing your Word to be written. Thank you for causing it to be preserved all throughout the millennia with the blood of your martyrs. It is awfully sad however, dear Lord, that, in our busyness and desire to advance ourselves in this world, we have sorely neglected and forgotten it. May you bring a deep desire and longing in our hearts for your Word again. Revive our love for the Bible. Revive our love for You, O, God. Restore to us our first love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.